31/31 Day 22: My Ode to Sonic

These days, Sonic the Hedgehog seems to be everybody's favorite picking boy. However, I would like to share why this blue speed demon may be the most important video game character in my life. You see, it all started when I was a small boy derping around with my gamecube. I played games like Mario Party 7 and Spyro, but none of the games ever seemed 'Cool' to me. Then my friend showed me Sonic Heroes. I was dragged into a world filled with a rocking soundtrack, fast paced levels, and some fun characters.

To me, Sonic was the very definition of cool. He was athletic, had an atitude, and was also a hero. He was everything a young kid wanted to be, and I thought that Sonic Adventure was the greatest game ever. For me, Sonic and Spyro were the two heroes who I really looked up to. So today, I will list the best of the Sonic franchise. Starting with the generations. No, not that generations, the console generations.

BEST OF CONSOLE WARS ERA

SONIC 3 AND KNUCKLES

Don't kid yourself: this is the greatest 2D sonic game in the main series. The controls are tighter than ever, the music is amazing, and this is where sonic and his friends peaked in terms of good characters. Knuckles and Metal Sonic are great villains, and the game also looks great.

BEST OF 32 BIT ERA

SONIC CD

If I have to explain this, go play this game right now. Seriously, it is in the Sonic games collection and is on steam. Just play it, then come back and tell me that there is a better 2D sonic game. I dare you. Unless your answer is Sonic 3, which is also acceptable.

BEST OF THE SONY ERA

SONIC ADVENTURE

This game doesn't hold up very well, but is still a fine game. The iconic whale scene is one of the best moments in gaming, and this is where the vastly superior thin sonic reared his head. Yeah, I said that. I will take a moment to hide from the flames now.

BEST OF THE 3D PARTY ERA

SONIC ADVENTURE 2: BATTLE

I have to come out clean. I have spent over 30 hours in this game. Yes, I know, it sounds crazy. However, this game has a long storyline with many collectibles, a fun multiplayer, and the Chao garden. Tune in tomorrow for more on the Chao garden, but let's talk about the campaign. It has some of the best songs in sonic history, with iconic tracks such as 'Live and Learn' and 'City Escape'

BEST OF THE CURRENT ERA

SONIC GENERATIONS

This era is a bit of a rough ride. Sonic hasn't had many good games aside for this and Colors, so I really only had to pick between those. Sure, this isn't a great game but any Sonic fan will love at least one of the levels. I keep obsessing over the Heroes level, and i'm sure some of you older gamers out there would like the Green hill zone callback. It features the best music from each of the respective games, and gives us a look back at the ups and downs of Sonic's past.

BEST SPINOFF

SONIC CHRONICLES: THE DARK BROTHERHOOD

This is the only sonic game with a storyline that is actually good. Bioware did a great job with making a turn based Sonic JRPG, and this may be the most underrated DS game ever. The music is good as always, and there is a healthy dose of moments when you can make decisions that will change the outcome of the game. For example, you can miss a few party members if you don't say the right things to the right people, but that might anger others.

BEST SONG

CITY ESCAPE

Another nostalgic song from my Gamecube era. Whenever I hear this song, I am overwhelmed with memories of that iconic level and the hours spent training my chaos for karate.

BEST CHARACTER THAT IS FROM THE GAMECUBE-MODERN ERA

OMEGA

He was the first character who I obsessed over in Sonic Heroes. Being the Darth Vader obsessed kid that I was, I went with evil first. Shadow was just black sonic who was also a jerk and Rouge was a bat with breasts. Omega however, was a hulking robot with machine gun arms! He has freaking machine gun arms, guys!